Tim Tebow had a magical season with the Broncos in 2011, but does he have any left? / Ron Chenoy, USA TODAY Sports

by Nate Davis, USA TODAY Sports

by Nate Davis, USA TODAY Sports

The New York Jets took Tim Tebow out of the Denver Broncos locker room, and now the freshly crowned AFC West champs are borrowing a page from the Jets' playbook for anonymously criticizing the quarterback who elicits such a wide array of opinions, most of them seemingly negative as it pertains to football these days.

Bronco 1: "When Tim was here we saw the issues up close. The Jets didn't, and now they are seeing the problems, too.

"I feel really, really bad for Tim. He's a good person, just not an NFL quarterback."

Bronco 2: "This year we won the division with four games left. That's all Peyton Manning. If Tebow was here, we'd still be squeaking out wins, or losing games we shouldn't be losing. The division would be coming down to the last game.

"I've been following Tim in New York and I feel horrible for him. Everyone here, I think, wants the best for him. He's a good guy. But you can't turn Tim into something he's not, and he's not really an NFL quarterback. He's more of a gimmick player."

Another Bronco expressed relief that personnel boss John Elway acquired four-time MVP Manning to give the team a realistic chance to "compete with any team in football."

Tebow's NFL future, particularly as a quarterback, seems more in doubt than ever.

Last year, he was garnering credit for reviving Denver's season and leading the Broncos to a division title. With revisionists from the team now suggesting that success came in spite of Tebow, it's worth wondering if he'll ever be liberated from the Jets' bench or get a shot under center elsewhere in the league.

Rex Ryan was never inclined to replace oft-struggling starter Mark Sanchez with Tebow before his ribs were injured, yet the coach is now mulling a switch to third-stringer Greg McElroy based on less than one half of work in yesterday's win over the Arizona Cardinals. And with colleges producing NFL-ready quarterbacks more quickly than ever, it seems far-fetched that the Jacksonville Jaguars, Kansas City Chiefs or anyone else would cast their lot with a player saddled with so many drawbacks as a passer.

Tebow is renowned as a competitor, team-first player and gamer. Yet if he wants to maximize those traits, it sure seems the writing on the wall (and the internet) is telling him to make a go of it at a position other than quarterback.